Don't Tickle a Sleeping Dragon
by PromptsAO
Summary: The wizarding community never went into hiding. The muggles have almost all been eradicated and the few remaning ones are considered dangerous pests. Newt Scamander is determined to prove them wrong. Oneshots
1. Chapter 1

_Monsters of Magic:_ _Muggles_

 _A muggle is a creature that looks similar to us at first glance but possesses no magic of any kind. The physiology of wizards and muggles is fundamentally different. While they are not susceptible themselves to dragon pox, they can carry the disease without any symptoms and pass it on to those of the magical community. The Rappaport's law of 1790 was enacted after an epidemic of dragon pox caused by large congregations of muggles near wizarding communities. The Ministry of Magic's departments of regulation and control of magical creatures and magical accidents and catastrophes combined forces to create the new department of control and regulation of muggles. In 1800 it existed out of 12 squadrons of relatively new Aurors to regulate the amount of muggles, in these days muggles were still living in large congregations so there was no need for search squadrons. Nowadays there are only 4 squadrons left with one search squadron of specialised Aurors to keep the population under control._

 _Dragon pox has now become a rare disease because muggle numbers are lower than the previous centuries but they still pose a threat to the wizarding community. Even a single muggle can cause the birth of a squib, stealing the unborn baby's magic before it is even born. It is advisable for expecting mothers to avoid hiking in woods or going near abandoned muggle villages. Magic to muggles is much like catnip to cats, their behaviour becomes more erratic and violent. To prevent muggles from nearing the house of the expecting mother, put enchanter's nightshade around every window and door of the building. While every type of enchanter's nightshade will work to repel muggles, the circaea repens is most effective._

A baby Swooping Evil was hardly any bigger than an owl but dangerous nonetheless. Newt had been able to save the muggle just in the nick of time. It had gotten bitten several times but the Swooping Evil was inexperienced and had not been able to go for the brains before Newt had stunned it with a spell. Newt had quickly scooped the creature up and put it in his case, he would take care of it later. The muggle was his main concern right now.

There was no way of telling how a muggle would react to a bite of a Swooping Evil. The muggle was still on the ground, bleeding from the several bitemarks but conscious. Or at least, semi-conscious. It looked back at Newt without showing any signs of fear at being near a wizard. ''Who are you?'' the muggle asked, seemingly it had forgotten that it had just been attacked or why it was on the ground bleeding.

Technically Newt should not have stopped the Swooping Evil or at least finished the muggle himself. Muggles were considered pests, they had to be eradicated completely. Or at least that was what both the Ministry and ''Monsters of Magic'' claimed. He had already raised his wand to put an end to the muggle's misery. The muggle just looked at the wand with wonder in its eyes and reached for it like a baby for a toy. It seemed to have forgotten it's natural fear of anything magical, the venom of the Swooping Evil probably had something to do with it.

He lowered his wand. Newt just couldn't do it, he did not have the heart. He had been taught about magical creatures with the book ''Monsters of Magic'' but now that he was a magizoologist himself he had noticed so many mistakes. What if it was wrong about muggles too? This muggle clearly did not look like it was going to burn Newt at the stake.

''Let's get you patched up'' Newt crouched down next to the muggle to inspect its wounds. Tiny puncture wounds on its arms and a few drops of purple venom around it. Newt could only hope that the muggle would not have some allergic reaction to it, after all he could not take it to St Mungo's.

 _Monsters of Magic: A muggle is a primitive creature, unable to grasp complex concepts. This comes to an advantage when eradicating a congregation. There is no need for a complicated patronus charm to draw them into the swamp, a lumos will do. Muggles are attracted to light just like a Flitterby. If one then does not have the heart to end them themselves, a confunded muggle left in a swamp will have the same effect._

After four days it seemed like the venom was out of the muggle's system. While it still showed no fear at any signs of magic, it at least remembered how to drink water without drowning. In the first few hours after the bite it had gotten progressively worse, the muggle was stumbling around like a newborn Hippogriff. It had taken some time for it to wear off. Newt had been able to keep the muggle safe in the meantime but now it was time to release the creature again.

He did not look forward to that. The muggle had told him that it was called Aaron. While Newt had chosen to venture out in the world alone, it was nice to have a humanlike creature around to keep him company. But Newt knew deep down that it was not sustainable, only one glimpse of a muggle and the Ministry would have called out the squadrons to take care of the problem. Newt had to let it go back to its own kind but a muggle without fear of wizards was a dead one.

''Newt! Was it the green or the blue stuff you needed?'' Aaron called out, holding two brightly coloured flasks. It had helped around with the creatures in the case, always handy to have two pair of hands to work with the Nifflers. It was eager to learn and seemed to be getting along well with the other creatures. Except for the Swooping Evils, Newt was reluctant to let the muggle anywhere near those again.

Newt took a deep breath, gripped his wand, before turning around. It was time to make Aaron fear magic again.

 _Newt's notes: Muggles do not fear magic instinctively. They seem to be drawn to it but are unable to steal any it from adult wizards for themselves. Unclear if the same applies to the unborn, infants or children._

 _The venom of a baby Swooping Evil results into extreme memory loss in muggles which lasts for three days. A bitten muggle is not to be left alone under any circumstances during this period as they are unable to perform even the basic tasks of staying alive in this period. Over time they will recuperate but bad memories seem to be erased indefinitely._

Aaron fled the case, climbing the ladder as quick as he could, covered in scratches and bruises. Newt did not pursue it but he did aim a few curses near the muggle to instil fear in it that the wizard might still come after him. He had done his best not to hurt the muggle too bad as they were fragile but at the same time he had to make sure the muggle would be terrified of wizards to prevent it from coming near anything magical again. If it had wandered into any magical village they would have killed him. The muggle might not understand it but it would keep it safe from harm. But it was heartbreaking for Newt to have to do this to one of his creatures.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time Newt had encountered a muggle, he was five years old. His mother had set a dragon trap, suspecting a Bulgarian Barbframe was behind the missing Hippogriff feed. But instead of a large winged creature, a muggle had been trapped. Dead. Big tears had ran down Newt's face, mourning every creature his mother had killed in an effort to keep her Hippogriffs safe.

The next time Newt saw a muggle was in his last year at Hogwarts. He was a teaching assistant to professor Lugnok, taking care of the magical creatures and helping around during classes.

''Settle down, settle down!'' the voice alone was enough to silence the class. Professor Lugnok might seem like a though man of few words. But whenever magical beasts were involved, the man could talk for hours and hours. One of the many reasons why Newt had jumped at the opportunity to help him around.

Today there was a big crate in the middle of the classroom, the students were whispering at each other trying to figure out what was inside of it. Professor Lugnok loved keeping them in suspense, taking his time to open the crate.

However when the crate was finally open and students could get a glimpse of the creature, disappointed noises filled the room followed by those of disgust.

''A muggle? Even a bowtrunckle would have been more exciting'' the boy in blue colours crossed his arms, glaring at him.

''What if it carries dragon pox? I don't want it going anywhere near me'' a shrill voice exclaimed somewhere from the back of the crowd.

''Silence!'' Professor Lugnok was clearly displeased with the students lack of interest''Back to your seats, page 294. Miss Lestrange, if you please''

 _Monsters of magic: Muggles are fragile creatures with vastly different physiologies from wizards and witches. Their hearts are located on the right side of their body and they have 2 more ribs. While they can carry a multitude of magical diseases, only Spattergroit symptoms will manifest itself in muggles._

A group of three boys in the back row elbowed each other, making fun of one of the students unlucky enough to have contracted the disease a couple of years ago. His face was littered with the remnant scars of it. Either the professor did not notice or did not care. Newt frowned, could he step in? Or was that the task of the professor?

 _Monsters of magic: As there are no accurate tests to determine whether a muggle carries any of these diseases, all must be exterminated on sight. Aside from the regular magical extermination methods, muggles are particularly vulnerable to falling from heights such as the normal flying altitude. While muggles can eat almost anything non-magical, they are easily poisoned by using troll saliva. When gillyweed is consumed by a muggle, they do not grow gills but their lungs will fail nonetheless. Do not underdose gillyweed as a muggle that is poisoned once by it will not eat it again and might even warn other muggles of its effects._

''Are we going to try out any of these methods professor?'' the boy in blue asked eagerly, joined by several of his classmates.

''Not today Braithmore, I have another class to teach. Aside from that, I've promised professor Slughorn I'd give him a new ingredient. Lestrange, last paragraph.''

 _Monsters of magic: If for any reason the reader of this book is unable to exterminate the muggles themselves, they can be repelled by a potion mixed of blue muggle blood and mandrake root. This potion will last for four to six weeks, depending on the fulness of the moon. Blue blood can be acquired from the muggles themselves. Under the influence of sunlight their blood turns from blue to red, to obtain the blue variety one must keep the muggle in complete darkness for a couple of weeks before harvesting._

''And now for the demonstration'' The professor took a tight grip on the muggle's arm, it must already knew what was going to happen by now . Newt had assisted him the first few times but it made him nauseous, last time he almost fainted. He felt ashamed for having failed professor Lugnok but at the same time he felt ashamed for a different reason.

''One can see the blue blood clearly when looked at the inside of the arm'' The professor pointed out to the class. Some of them on the front row craned their necks to see what was happening, others recoiled in disgust. ''Don't worry, they can't feel pain the same way we do'' Newt's nausea increased, the first time they had performed this procedure the muggle had pulled its arm back during the hexing. It had resulted in a large gash, making screaming both in terror and agony. He was not so sure that muggles could not feel pain.

A flick of the wand and blood was gushing out of his arm, bright red. ''Merlin's beard, what is wrong with this muggle!'' Some students giggled at the failed demonstration, earning a furious glare from the professor. ''Fix that arm Scamander. Students, we're going to check on the occamy from last week''.

''I'm not going to hurt you'' After the students had left the classroom, Newt approached the muggle with his hand palms turned upwards. The other muggles turned violent whenever they were approached with wands or cower away in a corner.

The muggle let out a hoarse laugh. ''I've heard those words before'' It flinched almost immediately afterwards, sending a wary glare in Newt's direction.

It took some time before Newt was able to get close enough to put pressure on the gash to stop the bleeding, fumbling around with his wand to heal it. For moment the room was dead silent.

''Did you do it on purpose? The red blood?'' Scamander asked it without looking at its face. He had to know, did the muggle do it on purpose

A few seconds passed before it answered. ''There is no blue blood. It's a trick of the light.''

Now Scamander did look up, searching for any clues that would indicate a lie. While the muggle returned his stare with nervous fidgeting, it did seem to be truthful.

After Newt had closed the door of the shed, locking the muggle back in with the rest, he wrote in his copy of ''Monster of Magic'' in the sidelines.

 _Muggles do not possess blue blood._


	3. Chapter 3

After getting expelled from Hogwarts, Newt had to find a job to pay the bills. He landed a temporary one at Gorhendad's Creature Control. Not the best job in the world but a decent one or so his family had claimed. Newt was glad that at least it wasn't a stuffy office job like his uncle Ceredic had suggested.

Most days he was removing Flobberworms from beneath the kitchen sinks from old ladies or clearing gardens of Gnomes but without a Jarvey. His brother would have his head if he went within 10 yards of one.

But today he was working on more exciting tasks. The employer had bought a new house and wanted it cleared of any creatures before remodelling it. The morning he had spend capturing the pixies and dismantling their booby traps. Over the course of a couple of hours he was convinced that this house, even when cleared of all creatures, was not suitable to live in. There was quite a bit of deferred maintenance, the wood that made up most of the structure had been half eaten by woodworm.

Newt might not be an architect himself but he was quite certain that his employer was wasting his money on trying to salvage this place, the ministry would never approve it. But at least he was getting paid to clear it and might encounter some rare beasts in the process.

He was on the second floor carefully moving towards the balcony at the end of the hallway. The wood creaking beneath his feet, it had made it almost impossible to sneak up to the pixies and avoid the traps. The balcony looked out over the living room downstairs, he suspected a few creatures must have squatted there.

 _Monsters of Magic: As mentioned before, Muggles are incapable of complex thoughts. Because of this, their range of emotions are fairly limited to the most basic ones. Not unlike a Hippogriff one should never turn their back on a Muggle. They are unpredictable when cornered though they will often prefer flight to fight when given the opportunity._

 _Muggles do not have the mental capabilities to understand object permanency or causation, this can be utilised to our when encountering them._

Newt could see a man standing in the living room, dressed in quite extraordinary clothing with an almost medieval style of witch hat. The man was pacing up and down in front of a closet, waving his wand around aimlessly. Newt did not recognize him, he was not employed by Gorhendad. Slowly he moved closer to the balcony. A woman appeared in his view in the living room, long dark brown hair shielding her face. She ignored the man completely while going through the cupboards and collecting items from them in a frantic pace and throwing them in the bag that hung over her shoulder. A moment later she disappeared beneath the balcony, going into the kitchen.

The closet behind the man was thrown wide open and he did not go much further than a few feet away from it. Could it be a boggart? Smart muggle to realize it was not actually a wizard. Newt leaned over the railing of the balcony, trying to get a better look. When he heard the creaking of the rotting balcony railing it was already too late.

The wind was knocked out of Newt when he landed on his back, his wand rolling away from him over the floor. The boggart had found a new victim and quickly transformed into a overflowing desk. Like a fish on dry land, Newt gasped for air, reaching for his wand. He could not breath, could not speak or accio his wand. Report after report piled up on the desk, the boggart trying to scare him without much result.

His head felt like it was going to explode. He was almost close enough to grab his wand, just an inch or two further when a shoe stepped onto his left hand, pinning it to the ground. The woman was back, having thrown its bag aside. Its face was hard to read, first surprise then anger fear and finally fury. It picked up Newt's wand, looking at it with a hint of disgust. The boggart was confused, switching appearances in seconds from the strange wizard to the writing desk and back. Sometimes it got confused halfway through a transformation and turned into a desk with piles of tiny wizards on top of it.

''Don't!'' Newt called out with the tiny amount of air he had been able to collect in his lungs. He had a feeling he knew what the Muggle was planning to do. It was as cruel to hamstring a Hippogriff as it was to break the wand of a wizard but dangerous as well. The woman shot him a glare just before the corners of its mouth turned upwards. Helplessly Newt reached with his free right hand to save the wand before the muggle woman snapped the wand in half over its knee.

Sparks flew left and right, scaring the boggart and sending it back into the closet. Some magic left in the wand nearly missed the woman and hit the remaining part of the balcony, making it collapse even further.

The woman seemed to be startled by it, the two halves of the wand fell to the ground. It stepped of Newts hand but did not run away just yet. Instead it grabbed a bar of the balcony and lifted it above its head.

Newt could not remember a time when he was unable to use his magic, without his wand he was only able to cast the most basic of spells. Nothing powerful enough to defend himself against this furious Muggle woman with a makeshift baton. He pulled his knees up to his chest and shielded his head with his arms, hoping to ward of the blow. The first blow landed against his flank, making him curl up even further. He could see it raised the baton again as he braced for the second blow.

''Newt! Where are you!'' His boss bellowed. The woman stopped in its tracks, holding its breath. Newt glanced at it through his arms, hoping that it would flee before Gorhendad would get there. A moment later the spell seemed to be broken, the woman grabbed its bag and ran off towards the back door disappearing into the woods.

 _Newt's notes: A muggle understands the importance of a wand to a wizard. It appears to recognize emotions but does not display any sense of mercy itself_.


End file.
